What a great park and it just keeps getting better. So much for the kids to do and great places for…read moreadults to relax or play as well. Apart from the old steam train that the kids love to climb on, there is a multitude of other equipment for them to enjoy and wear themselves out (do they ever wear out) on. Plenty of space, plenty of grass, plenty of trees, fairly well fenced off from the traffic as well. Has to be the best park in the local area and they are adding climbing walls and a bunch of other stuff to make it even better. Locally known as the train park, close to shops, Bayswater railway station and bike paths. There is just so much to like and it is free.

The Tim Neville Arboretum in Ferntree Gully is a perfect spot for an afternoon out with a young…read morefamily. There is a large playground that has been recently renovated and is brand new. It has a child safe gates and a fence around it to encourage supervision. It is a pretty popular playground and gets quite busy on sunny days. The park has two really pretty lakes complete with ducks. There are boardwalks and bridges to walk over and a nice track that meanders all around the park. To appreciate the peace and the beautiful scenery make sure to take a seat at one of the park benches scattered all around - they are perfectly placed for the best views. Although if you are coming for peace and quiet you'd be best off coming during a weekday as on weekends and school holidays there will be kids everywhere. The Knox Bicycle Track runs alongside the park making it a great picnic lunch spot if you're going on a big ride. Kids often ride their bikes around the tracks in the park and there are plenty of grass areas big enough to kick a ball around and be more active. Supervision of kids is essential around the lake as there are no barriers or anything to prevent people from falling in. Dogs are common visitors to the park and must be kept on a leash at all times. The park is really unique in that it caters to every member of the family, young and old and it really is a beautiful spot. Very popular for wedding receptions and events there is a pergola at one end that often plays host to quite a crowd. There are adequate parking spaces available as well as side street parking.

With the outer east slowly building up and attracting more and more new residents to the area, one…read moredifference we have to the west is the amount of greenery we hold dear. At the foot of the Dandenongs, between Fern Tree Gully and Boronia, sits the Tim Neville Arbouretum, a huge expanse of lakes, fountains and open space that has been a favourite for picnics, weddings and lazy Sunday afternoons for as long as I can remember. As a kid we used to come here on our bikes and tear around the paved track that winds its way through, across the footbridge and past the amphitheatre, that is home to yearly Christmas Carols by Candlelight. Perfect on a warm day, there are also BBQ's to use, and plenty of rooms for a large group.

Recently transformed from its weary state to a grassy haven in the centre of The Basin, the Basin…read moreTriangle is the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon. Opposite the small group of shops on Mountain Highway, this little park area is a favourite amongst locals and visitors wanting a place to take the kids or the dog for a good old run around. With the play equipment getting a recent overhaul, what was a pretty tired wooden structure is now a state of the art (and quite futuristic) play area surrounded by chairs and tables for parents to drink their coffee and chat whilst the kids let out their energy. With the Basin Fish & Chip shop located across the road, this often proves convenient on a nice afternoon, as the lush grass provides the perfect place to unwrap your order and eat your chips. If you're after something healthier, grab a wrap or pie from the bakery or one of the coffee shops and unwind under the trees. Also the location of the yearly Basin Music Festival, the triangle is as old the suburb itself and recent boom sin property prices in the area is sure to usher in a new age of style and demographic to The Basin.

I believe I can safely say that William Ricketts Sanctuary was one of the most peaceful places that…read moreI have ever visited. Just walking through the forest and seeing all those artworks that were made not by harming but by trying to be in synch with nature was an amazing experience. Of course, I was lucky enough to visit this place with my favourite person in the world and she was my guide in everything as well as taking me to this wonderful place. She and her mother love travelling and were nice enough to take me places that I would not be able to go and discover on my own. You should visit this place, full of many works of art, if you are interested in the aboriginal culture and history, it is another perspective into the culture. Also, the artworks are situated in such a way that takes you away and the peace and quiet just lets you fall into the depths of your inner self. You will be amazed.

Really cool park to check out which features the work of William Ricketts, an Australian sculptor…read more The sanctuary is filled with trees and ferns so it's a very nice shaded walk. The walk itself is not long, will definitely take less than an hour. Free admission and free parking. No food or drinks allowed in the park.

This is a wonderful and quaint park that has so much to offer. In the main area, there is the…read more'jells park tea house', a lovely little café where you can sit and enjoy the surroundings. There is a large wooden playground for kids, plenty of trails and routes to accommodate for the frequent runners and bikers, ovals and barbecues (these run high in demand on sunny weekends). Jells park isn't crowded or overpopulated, but there are enough people around to give it a sense of a community. The park is more of a wetlands/bush land style park compared to a botanical type. I love coming here as it has a vibe of happiness to it, there are always children running around, couples biking and dog walkers. Jells Park is very large and you probably could get lost in it (but if you just follow any path it'll take you back out). If you're in the local area, pop down for a bbq and enjoy.

Jells Park is an extremely popular place to go of a weekend. It offers plenty of natural bushland,…read moreover nine kilometres of tracks and paths, a couple of playgrounds, and heaps of space for you to have picnics or kick the footy with the kids. There's fishing on the side of the lake that is outside of the conservation area, but I hope you like carp! There's the occasional redfin, but they seem like the exception and not the rule, particularly if your experience is anything like mine. The barbecue facilities are pretty good, if sometimes quite busy. In some spots, you'll find free electric barbecues, in others, you'll find wood-burning barbecues. Wood is usually provided, which is a plus. Just remember to take out everything you take in. No rubbish should ever be left there.

King Parade Playground has recently been re-vamped and all the equipment is brand new. It is a…read moremodest playground but it has plenty of grassy areas surrounding it and is great for kicking a ball around or any game requiring serious room. It borders both King Parade and Norma Crescent South in Knoxfield, as it is located on empty blocks of land on a suburban street. It also acts as a useful cut through between these streets- well, for me anyway. Small green plants and large rocks line the footpath on either end of the park - kids seem to enjoy jumping from rock to rock. I have never seen the park particularly busy which is always a nice thing - it means you don't ever really have to wait for someone else to finish with a piece of equipment. It has two swings - one baby and one adult size. There are also two wooden park benches to sit on that face the playground. These are perfectly placed for any adults supervising their kids. When it rains the park gets really muddy and slushy. You will get mud splashes on your clothes if you walk across it when it is like this, so if you're using it as a cut through only I would definitely avoid using it on wet days. Otherwise it is a pretty good playground and park. I happily recommend it.

I love parks, and I definitely love going for a stroll through parks, especially when they are…read morelocated in the middle of a city. However, what really captures my attention is a park with a lake because, honestly parks with lakes are really, really cool. Okay, when I was younger I also liked parks with play equipment, as well as parks with lakes you could swim in (though you can't actually swim in most lakes these days because they happen to be pretty filthy). Sure, this park is probably not one of my favourites, namely because it happens to be one of those suburban parks that don't stand out as much as some of the parks closer to the city, but it still has a charm of its own.

I haven't been to this park for quite some time, and I was informed that the playground area and…read moretoilets have been revamped, so I decided to take my 3yo granddaughter to check it out, she had a great time playing on the play equipment and looking at all the ducks and other birds, it was a wonderful time for her and that made me very happy 10/10

This is a lovely large and picturesque off leash dog park featuring an under cover BBQ area,…read moretoilet, dog water bowls, bush walks in every direction including one to nearby Jells Park. Amazing bird life, as well as frogs, lizards, turtles. Plenty of parking. BYO poo bags and there's no rubbish bins. It's kept well maintained and mowed. Not fully fenced but enough natural boundaries to keep dogs in the main areas.

Lakewood Nature Reserve has only recently developed into its current fleshy state. It has dense…read morebushes and trees and lots of natural grasses. There are little tracks that wind there way through the dense growth and these are quite enjoyable to explore. They are only dirt tracks however so if you are going on a wet day it does get quite muddy. There are also concrete paths that are a lot wider, which connect the reserve with Lakewood Lake. A lot of magpies and native birds live in the reserve and you will definitely see a lot of activity amongst the treetops. There is also a drinking tap supplied. This is useful both for humans and for dogs because there is a smaller at dog height.